Wednesday, March 17, 2004

NEAL BOORTZ, THE ANTIDOTE FOR GOVERNMENT EDUCATION

I received the following email from a young lad named Barrett, a student at Simpson Middle School near Atlanta:

Mr. Boortz:  I am a seventh grade student at Simpson Middle School.  We are entering a contest for C-SPAN about our country's greatest concern.  We have chosen unemployment.  I am wondering what your opinion is regarding unemployment and its impact on our future in this country.  Also, do you think people are victims of unemployment or do you think people cause their own unemployment.  I will not alter your words if you reply.  Thank you.  Barrett Ahlers.

Well, my friends, I think it's fairly obvious what has happened here.  A union government teacher who probably can't wait to get to the polls on November 2nd and vote for John sKerry maneuvered the class into this adoption of unemployment as our number one concern.  This, my friends, is why we need a separation of government and education.

Well ... here is my response to young Barrett Ahlers:

Barrett:  Thank you so much for writing me and asking for my input on this question.  My guess is that your teacher more or less manipulated the class into adopting unemployment as our country's greatest concern.  Believe me, it's not.  The unemployment rate right now is about 5.6%.  When Bill Clinton was president the media portrayed this unemployment rate as "low."  Now that there's a Republican in the White House you hear a different tune.  Look around you, Barrett.  Most of the adults you know have jobs.  Every day the streets of Marietta are clogged with people heading to work.  If you read your parent's newspaper you'll see page after page of advertisements ... businesses looking for people who will work.   Not counting those people who just can't work because of physical or mental problems, the only people out there right now without jobs are people who have just made up their mind that they either don't want to work, or they aren't going to take any job that they consider to be beneath them.  There is dignity in every job, Barrett, and nobody ever has to be ashamed at putting in an honest day's work ... even if they're cooking hamburgers.  The problem is that your government will pay these people to sit on their cans for weeks on end .. and sit on their cans they will,  until there is no other choice but to find some work.

Here's something for you to think about.   You've heard of baby boomers, haven't you?  Your grandparents may be baby boomers.  These are people who were born in the years immediately following World War II.  Well, these baby boomers will be ready to retire in about three years.  When they retire their jobs just don't go away.  The companies who own these jobs will need new workers to fill them.  Now ... here is something you need to share with your teacher and your classmates:  When these baby boomers start leaving these jobs there will only be enough qualified workers to fill one-half of them.  Millions of jobs have been created in the last four years, and millions more will be vacated by retiring boomers.  Does it really look like unemployment is our country's biggest concern? 

Yes ... I think that people cause their own unemployment.  One of the most valuable lessons you could learn right now is that your future happiness will be wholly dependent on the sum effect of the decisions that you have made and the decisions you will make in your life.  Every choice, no matter how trivial it may seem at the moment, is important and should be made wisely.  There are many people in our country who have made pitiful decisions .. decisions related to education and the development of job skills .. who now can't find the type of job they think they deserve.

Now .. you didn't ask .. but I'm going to tell you what I think America's greatest concern is right now.  In fact, I'll give you my top two picks. 

First is terrorism.  America is in the middle of World War IV.  World War III was the Cold War, and it was won with the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Now the world is fighting Islamic terrorism.  Fundamental Islamic Jihadists are determined to destroy Western secular society ... a society they see as evil.  They will kill innocent people to accomplish their goals.  They killed 200 innocent people in Spain last week, and toppled the Spanish government.  They have made it clear that they intend to attack America again .. and to kill as many of us as possible.  What if they manage to smuggle a chemical, biological or, God forbid, nuclear weapon into our country, Barrett?  Can you imagine watching the TV with your parents one evening and seeing reports of 40,000 people dead in one of our major American cities from a terrorist attack using these horrible weapons?  A low 5.6% unemployment rate would seem pretty insignificant then, wouldn't it?

My second concern?  I think America is in trouble, Barrett, because Americans have lost their love of freedom.  Americans no longer want to be truly free.  They want government to be their provider as well as their protector.  They don't want to take the responsibility for their own employment, their own retirement and their own health care.  They don't want to be responsible for the education of their own children ... preferring, instead, to hand their children over to the government to be educated.  They don't even want to be responsible for what they watch on TV or listen to on the radio.

Well .. that's probably more than you expected from me.  Sorry if I got carried away.  Keep asking questons, Barrett ... and remember to use your power of choice wisely.  It will pay great dividends.

Neal.

JOHN KERRY CAUGHT IN A NEW LIE ... MAKE THAT LIES

This is going to be a common theme throughout this election, and the Bush campaign needs to seize on this right away.  Not only does the Democratic nominee for president switch positions as he sees fit, but Senator John Kerry just tells outright lies.  That's right; when the truth doesn't suit his purpose, he just concocts something that does.  Do you think the mainstream media would let a Republican get away with something like that? Of course not.

Today's tall tale centers on none other than the brutal communist dictator 90 miles off the Florida coast, Cuban President Fidel Castro.  While pandering for Hispanic votes in Sunday's Miami Herald, Kerry said "I'm pretty tough on Castro, because I think he's running one of the last vestiges of a Stalinist secret police government in the world.  And I voted for the Helms-Burton legislation to be tough on companies that deal with him"  Sounds like pretty much the same thing as President Bush, right?  Well, the newspaper did a little digging, and once again, Kerry's past comes back to haunt him.

It turns out that Senator John Kerry actually voted against the Helms-Burton legislation.  Never let the facts get in the way of good campaigning, right? Let's just see if the media calls Kerry out on this one at his next press conference.

I doubt it.  

Oh ... and while we're at it.  Yet another Kerry lie.  This one is about that continuing brouhaha over Kerry's statement that he met with foreign leaders who told him that they wanted him to beat Bush.  Kerry's statement was recorded --- yes, recorded --- by a Boston Globe reporter handling pool coverage.  Well ... this is turning into a problem for Kerry for two reasons.  First, nobody seems to remember when he has met with any foreign leaders.  Second, he refuses to share with us the names of these foreign leaders he's been talking too.

Now it seems that sKerry wants to change his story.  At a recent meeting with campaign donors sKerry was challenged about his statement that he had met with these mysterious foreign leaders.  Kerry's respose?   "I never said that.  What I said was that I have heard from people who are leaders elsewhere in the world who don't appreciate the Bush administration approach and would love to see a change in the leadership of the United States."

Seems like Mr. sKerry has a problem!  Here's this tape recording where sKerry clearly says "met," and there's sKerry saying "I never said that!"

By the way ... just in case you've missed this important fact about John Kerry ... I'll just let this cartoon say it for him:

AND THIS IS WHY JOHN SKERRY VOTED AGAINST SUPPORT FOR OUR TROOPS?

sKerry seems to be having a rough time 'splaining his no-vote on continuing funding for our troops in Iraq.  He's now telling people that he would have voted for the $87 billion funding measure, but decided not to because Bush wouldn't raise taxes on the rich to pay for it.  Wow!  A presidential candidate saying "If you're not going to raise taxes on rich people, then I'm not going to vote to give our troops what then need in Iraq.  So there."

The question is:   Which is more important to John Kerry.  Supporting our troops in Iraq, or raising taxes on the rich?  We now know the answer. 

THE FRENCH LOVE KERRY

This should come as no surprise, since John Kerry and the French share the same anti-American, pro-terrorist agenda.  It is a bit of a surprise just how popular he is over there.

Apparently, Kerry's face is all over magazines and newspapers on the newsstands of Paris. This quote from a Frenchman says it best: "He is the closest thing that you will have to a French politician, with a certain diplomacy, a certain elegance."  He must mean a certain elegance with supporting terrorist regimes sympathetic to Al-Qaeda.  He is right about one thing, though.  Kerry does look French. 

It's a good thing the French can't vote in American elections.

DRAT!  I WISH THIS GUY WAS THE NOMINEE

You've heard the latest from that idiot Howard Dean, haven't you?  He says that Bush is to blame for the deaths in Spain.  If Bush wasn't fighting terrorism in Iraq, the Islamic terrorists wouldn't have struck in Spain.  This is the height of appeasement politics.  "We can't try to kill terrorists.  If we do, they might kill more of us." 

Later, of course, Moron Dean started to feel the heat from his "It was Bush's fault" statement, so he resorted to an old tactic.  The very same tactic he used when he said that Bush knew beforehand of the attacks on New York and Washington.  He said that he was merely repeating a charge that was made by someone else; in this case Al Qaeda operatives.

To think ... this man was once thought to be a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination.  Would that it have been so.

MARCHING INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEMOCRATS

By now I'm sure you've heard of democraticunderground.com ... a website where your Democrat neighbors can go to trade ideas and thoughts about this year's election.  One of our alert listeners lifted a few postings on this website that I thought you might enjoy.  Here, my friends, are your loving, compassionate Democratic neighbors at work.  Why don't we all sit back and let them chose our next president ... waddaya say?  Here's the first post:

As we've heard again and again recently, if we are going to beat this bunch of rule breaking GOP misanthropes, we're going to have to start fighting as dirty as they do. I started this thread for one reason, to get everyone's ideas on a list of things we as Democrats can consider to stop the takeover of this country. This isn't going to be a thread for the squeamish, or for the ideologically pure. Best to steer clear if that describes you.

Here are half a dozen ideas to get the ball rolling.

1) Get Republicans fired at your workplace, or fire them yourself if you can - In the belief that all activism starts with the grass roots, do us all a favor, and fire your Republican employees this week. There are legitimate reasons to fire virtually any employee, so avail yourself of them. Not only will it quit the gloating you're hearing around the office, it'll stop those donation checks they are getting ready to write. Might also teach them a bit of humility regarding the poor and the disadvantaged. They can be the "Pioneers" of "Unemployment Window A"

2) Pretend to be a Republican, and then cut down the next Republican that you have a conversation with. - The more public/crowed the place you do this, the better. Use whatever remarks you know are sure to make the intended impression. "You're no better than the liberal scum you claim to hate... get back into the kitchen... Just wait till we win next year and toss peons like you into the field or the workhouse... People in your income bracket don't have the right to be Republican or vote etc." If you need talking points, just observe in a Yahoo political chat room for a few minutes and you have all the right wing bile that you can use and quite possibly all that you can stand.

3) Create, plant and disseminate widely "news stories" that discredit GOP policies - A good way to do this is to print out stories in the visual style of a major newspaper or magazine (don't use the logo or other copywrited material, however) and theme them similarly to the ones that targeted John McCain's platform last presidential election. Make sure not to slander individuals directly. Leave stacks of the printouts where people are certain to find them - i.e. supermarkets, coffee houses, bars, community centers etc. As in #2 make sure to write these from the right wing perspective, for maximum effect on the target audience. Avoid digital media, as it's too easy to fact check, not that most GOP voters care to check these things anyway.

4) Contact the IRS and anonymously tip them off regarding prominent GOP contributors in your area. - Lets face it, they are likely tax evaders in any case (that's why they are GOP), so might as well have them go thru an audit and feel a bit of what it's like to have a hostile government prying into their affairs. The tax money you shake free will be a little payback to your community for the egregious tax cut they undoubtedly are enjoying.

5) Make sure that you're the only ride on voting day for a group of hard right types who live out of the way, and then don't show up. - This works best in low population density areas and poor right wing communities. Cultivate a group of right wing friends and make sure they depend on you for the ride on Election Day. Then don't show up. Every vote they miss is an uncontested vote on the blue side of the aisle. The right needs a taste of Florida 2000.

6) Impersonate Linda Tripp. - Whisper into the ear of GOP associates to encourage and get dirty laundry regarding their improprieties, and then make sure that information gets into the wrong hands. It's hard to brag about family values or think about politics when you're in a divorce court.

Are you really serious about winning the culture war? Do you mean it when you say it's time to fight fire with fire? Then channel that anger and let's hear some ideas. Given the thin skin of most conservative ideologues, it won't take much to have them running far away from such policies and tactics so we can all enjoy proper, principled political discourse in the country again. First, however, they need to be taught that fighting dirty burns them as much as it burns anyone.

BTW- if you want to take action beyond the intellectual consideration of these ideas, please do so on your own. This thread is meant for the mental exercise of these ideas. Don't involve DU.

And a response from another loyal Democrat:

tedoll78: I used to be an "I-won't-do-that" person, but now I want to win and prevent the major harm that the GOP would do. In the end, having more liberal leaders in power will save the country and world from more heartache/chaos/destruction/etc; the change for the positive worldwide will more than pay-back for these tactics.

Like someone above said, let's break some eggs.

My starting proposals:

1) Hand-out faulty polling locations & directions in GOP-heavy voting districs. Let's see how they like it for a change.

2) Go door to door as a GOP volunteer with absentee ballots; the GOP loves to vote absentee, right? And then throw the filled-out ballots away. Either that, or give them a faulty ballot with a bad address on the envelope, and then they won't vote on election day since they'd think they've already voted.

3) Volunteer for a GOP phone bank operation and talk dirty to old people on the phone. Think of the most obscene, anus-licking things you can comprehend, and go for it! And be sure to identify yourself as a Bush supporter.

4) Wear an 'I love george w bush' t-shirt in public and act like a major ass. Moon people, fart loudly, call people offensive names. Here's a favorite: Go to football games where the Army is playing and accuse the other team's fans of being unpatriotic for rooting against the Army. In other words, be absurd!

5) When a polling organization calls, give answers such that they reflect very very very poorly on the nation's condition. Tell them you're unemployed, or tell them that you make <$8000 a year.

6) Panhandle in GOP/swing neighborhoods where it isn't illegal. Get as many people as you can to join you; create the image of crisis. Hold-up a sign saying that you were downsized, or that your job was sent overseas. If you're a veteran, emphasize your loss of benefits.

7) Drop-off a stack of fliers at veterans' halls, hospitals, etc detailing the betrayal of the Bush administration. And, if possible, ask them if they're enjoying their tax cuts.

I just thought of these seven off the top of my head. Surely we can come-up with some creative strategies for making the GOP's image as irrespectable as possible!

There you have it, my friends.  But remember ... it's the Republicans who are evil ... right?

INTEMPERATE THOUGHT

From this point on Spain shall be known as a nation of tortilla eating surrender monkeys.  They do eat tortillas in Spain, don't they? (Or maybe tapas eating surrender monkeys?)

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Did you know that the total debt burden in the United States ... and that would include consumer debt, business debt and government debt, is three times the annual economic output for the entire country?  That's a greater debt burden than we had during the great depression.  Not good.

Christopher Hitchens dissects the argument that somehow Spain's involvement in Iraq provoked the Islamic terrorist strike in Madrid.

The U.S. has lost an ally in the war on terrorism.  What does John Kerry have to say about this turn of events?

Brendan Miniter writes that next to John Kerry, Dukakis was a soaring hawk.

Bush's campaign ads are hitting the mark ... and this is from someone who should know.

The Guardian says that an attack on London is ... inevitable.

Mark Steyn says the Spanish  have dishonored their dead and the Socialist Worker's Party wouldn't have won without terrorism.

David Warren writes that Al-Qaeda is likely to try the same tactic in the United States that has worked in Spain.  They'll try it before the election here to try and defeat George Bush.

James Pinkerton, writing in Newsday, asks are the Spaniard's cowardly or are they wise? What else might be behind their election results? Read on.

Jonah Goldberg asks an interesting question: if there is no link between Al-Qaeda and Iraq, then why did Al-Qaeda blow up those trains in Madrid?

Thomas Sowell probes the question of "Why do the terrorists hate us?" The answer may surprise you.

A brilliant column from Walter E. Williams about Saddam Hussein's weapons. There's an interesting difference between what some people are saying now, and what they were saying just a few years ago.

Ben Shapiro looks at the distinguished list of Kerry supporters. It is quite a list.

Senator Joseph Biden says he would support a Kerry-McCain ticket, and supports Kerry's claim that foreign leaders are supporting his election. Of course, we still don't know who those leaders are.

Kerry is now saying that Bush has not done enough to support the war on terror. Michelle Malkin sets the record straight on that nonsense.

The terrorist-supporting Al Jazeera television network is praising John Kerry.  It's not surprising to see Osama's favorite cable channel supporting Kerry.

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